


Birdsong's Secrets

by allium_writes



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Character Death, Depression, F/M, Original Character(s), Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:47:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28919295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allium_writes/pseuds/allium_writes
Summary: The world kept a close eye on Aurelia Birdsong and Draco Malfoy.Secrets seemed to appear all around her life as a way for protection. The scariest ones were always the ones that lingered in the back of her head. Every time she wanted to tell someone, the words were left unsaid.Fate had plans for Aurelia Birdsong, they wanted to ruin her life—Draco just happened to be one of the people who Fate utilized to taunt Aurelia.(years one - post war)
Relationships: Draco Malfoy & Original Character(s)





	1. foreword

**Author's Note:**

> This work follows the characters from years one - post war. While the first year may be lighthearted, year two and onwards will delve into darker themes such as: character death, trauma, and torture. Reader discretion is advised for year two and up. 
> 
> The plot and characters belong to JK Rowling, the only thing I own are my original characters (the Birdsong Family) and the scenes I create. 
> 
> This story loosely follows canon; it will divert canon in sixth year. 
> 
> Cross-posted on Wattpad and Fanfiction.net under the name alliumwrites.

i wish i could have loved you better,   
maybe it wouldn't hurt as much.   
don't you understand?   
i've given my all for you, but it seems like you never wanted the same.   
but i did want the same. trust me, i wanted the same.   
then why all of these secrets? 

Fate had an interesting way of watching people's lives and watching them die. When Aurelia Birdsong was welcomed into Hogwarts, the Fates grew a strong interest in messing with her life. Draco Malfoy just happened to be dragged along with her. 

Was Fate cruel enough to dangle hope in front of their eyes? Did they enjoy watching the two suffer at the hands of war? 

Questions seemed to be useless in Fate's eyes, Aurelia's string of life could be cut in a blink of an eye, sealing her death; or her string of life could be brutally mangled. They were quite unpredictable with what they wanted to see in life. 

Unbeknownst to her, Aurelia's life would drastically change at the age of eleven but she wouldn't know that her life was already being used in a bigger plan. Her life was not part of Harry Potter's prophecy, but a scheme from both sides; schemes that would endanger her for as long as she knew. 


	2. Chapter 2

Aurelia Birdsong had never imagined that she would become a witch, but life had many ways of surprising her. 

When she first got the mail in her mailbox, her family had been skeptical and simply threw away the mail. It wasn't until hundreds of mails came piling through and a man named Professor Dumbledore ensured that Hogwarts was real that they accepted the fact that Aurelia was a witch. Her parents were still skeptical—more so her father than her mother, but after begging her parents to let her go to the magical school, they reluctantly agreed. 

Aurelia's parents found themselves chasing after her as she ran through the platform. 

"Aurelia! Slow down!" Her mother yelled. 

"I can't—I can't be late!" Aurelia panted out, clearly tired from running across the platform with her trolley. 

"You have more than enough time, Ellie!" Her father said as he caught up to Aurelia. 

The small family made it to Platforms 9 and 10, but they couldn't find the platform on their ticket. 

"Platform 9 3/4? There's no such thing! Are you sure it's not a scam?" Her father said. 

"There's no way it's a scam! Professor Dumbledore came to our house and explained it to us!" Aurelia cried out—she did not want to get her hopes up for nothing. 

Her father sighed, "And that's what all of those scammers want you to think." 

Aurelia looked around at the people on the platform—surely there had to be another magical family. 

Her eyes lit up. "Mum, Dad! What if we just look at the people with a trolley that is similar to ours! Maybe we can ask them!" Aurelia brightly smiled at her parents, happy that she came up with a plan. 

Her mum looked at Aurelia and nodded. "That's worth a shot." 

The family kept a close eye on the people walking around the platform. Aurelia quickly spotted a boy, who seemed to be the same age as her, with similar items in his trolley. 

"Mum! Look, he has the same things as us! We should ask him." Before her parents could say anything, Aurelia quickly pushed her trolley towards the boy. 

"Hello!" Aurelia chirped. 

The boy looked at her. "Hello?" 

"Oh! I love your owl! I have one too! My owl's name is Zoe!" Aurelia said before showing the boy her barn owl. 

The boy smiled at her and waved at her owl. "My owl's name is Hedwig." 

"If you don't mind me asking, do you know where Platform 9 3/4's is?" Aurelia asked. 

The boy shook his head. "No, I was hoping that you would know where it is." 

"Yeah, my parents and I are also lost. My name's Aurelia, by the way!" 

"I'm Harry Potter," her new friend said. 

Aurelia's parents came over to the two. "Aurelia! Don't go running around like that!" Her mother scolded. 

Aurelia sheepishly looked down and found interest in her shoes. "Sorry, mum." 

Her father looked at Harry, who looked a tad guilty for getting Aurelia in trouble. "Are you looking for Platform 9 3/4 as well?" 

Harry nodded at his question. 

"At least we know it's not a scam," Aurelia's mum said. 

Aurelia's dad shook his head. "They can be scamming multiple people!" 

"Professor Dumbledore came to our house! It's not a scam!" Aurelia whined. 

Aurelia's mum looked around the station and then back at Harry. "Where're your parents?" 

Harry was a bit uncomfortable at the question and blankly said, "My aunt and uncle are quite busy. They had to leave me at the station." 

"Leaving you at the train station? At eleven? That's not right," Aurelia's father said as he shook his head. 

"It's quite alright, Mr.-" 

"No need to be polite! Just call me Connor." 

"And you can call me Rowan." 

Harry was about to reply to Aurelia's parents, but Aurelia had already spotted another family that had trolleys like theirs. 

"Harry! Look! There's another family that has the same things as us!" Aurelia said as she nudged Harry. They turned their attention to the large family of distinct red hair who looked around before one of them ran into a wall. 

The Birdsong family and Harry made their way to the red-haired family. 

"Excuse me?" Harry asked the woman. 

"Can you tell us how to get to-" 

"How to get onto the platform? Not to worry, dear. It's Ron's first time going to Hogwarts as well. Now all you've got to do is walk straight at the wall between 9 and 10. Best do it with a bit of a run if you're nervous." The woman replied sweetly. 

The girl in the woman's arms looked at Harry and Aurelia, "Good luck." 

"Oh, thank you so much! We were afraid that this was a whole scam!" Aurelia's father told the woman. 

"Not to worry!" The kind woman replied. 

Harry and Aurelia nodded at each other before Harry ran through the wall. Aurelia watched as Harry disappeared and began to clutch tightly onto her trolley. 

"You'll be fine, sweetheart," The woman said. 

"Thank you, Mrs.-" 

"Weasley!" She replied with a bright smile on her face. 

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley." 

"You're very welcome, sweetheart." 

Aurelia and her parents then ran into the wall, almost crashing into Harry. 

"Sorry about that," Aurelia said meekly. 

"'s alright." He said as he rubbed his arm. 

Aurelia looked around the platform as she walked through—excitement coursed her veins as she took in the sight of the train. Kids all around them were either running around the platform or saying goodbye to their parents. 

"You both should board the train or you'll be late." Her mother said, snapping Aurelia out of her daydream. 

"Bye mum, bye dad! I'll write to you! Love you!" Aurelia said as she hugged her parents. Harry stood there awkwardly as Aurelia said goodbye to her parents. 

"Harry, if you ever need anything, you can always ask us," Aurelia's mum said. 

Harry nodded. "Thank you, Rowan."

Rowan and Connor smiled at Harry before patting him on the back. They had been annoyed that Harry's family had neglected Harry at the train station and wanted to help him. 

Aurelia grabbed Harry's hand and led him towards the train. 

"Bye! Love you!" Aurelia yelled out as she walked onto the train. Her parents waved them off before watching the two bodies disappear into the train. 

They walked throughout the train and peered into each compartment—all seemed to be full. Harry and Aurelia continued to walk down the train until they found an empty compartment. 

"Have you heard much about Hogwarts?" Aurelia asked. 

Harry shook his head, "Not really. I recently found out I was a wizard."

"Me too! I got all of these books so I wouldn't be too behind!" Aurelia happily said as she pulled out one of the books, _Hogwarts: A History._

Aurelia noticed Harry's distaste when he saw the book, "I haven't read the whole book. Honestly, I don't think I can read too much without my head hurting, but magic itself is so interesting!" 

The train began to move on their long journey ahead. Aurelia read to Harry throughout their journey, telling him the interesting bits from her book. Harry was glad that Aurelia was reading it to him, she would excitedly tell him about what she read before showing him the pictures. 

A knock appeared and the same boy from the station appeared—if she remembered correctly, his name was Ron. 

"Excuse me? Do you mind? Everywhere else is full." The boy asked. 

"Not at all," Harry replied and gestured to the seat next to him. 

"You're Ron, right?" Aurelia asked. 

"Yes! Ron Weasley, how'd you know?" 

"Your mum helped us on the platform, she's very kind!" Aurelia said. 

Ron smiled, "What's your name?" 

"I'm Aurelia Birdsong!" 

"I'm Harry. Harry Potter." 

At the name Harry Potter, Ron's eyes widened. She didn't understand why Harry's name caught Ron's attention, but she decided not to question it. 

"So, it's true? I mean, do you really have the scar?" Ron stuttered out. Harry lifted his bangs, showing a lightning bolt scar. 

"Wicked!" Ron said. 

A woman with a trolley full of snacks came around, "Anything from the trolley, dears?" 

Ron pulled out a squished sandwich from his pockets, "No thanks, I'm all set." 

Harry pulled out some coins from his pockets and handed the money to the trolley lady, "We'll take the lot." 

The compartment quickly filled up with snacks and candies—the kids quickly began to eat the sweets in front of them. 

"Harry? Why do you have the scar? And why does Ron know about it?" 

"He got that when he killed You-Know-Who," Ron said. 

Aurelia was confused at his answer, "You-Know-Who? Harry? You killed someone?" 

"Voldemort," Harry said. Ron abruptly stopped eating his candy at the name. 

"You killed him?" 

"Not that I remember it. I was a baby when it all happened." Harry muttered. 

Deciding to change the topic, Ron looked at his pet rat, "Scabbers, he's quite pathetic."

"Yeah, he is," Harry said. 

Ron finished the candy in his mouth, "Do you want to see a spell my brothers taught me?" 

Both Harry and Aurelia nodded and watched as Ron took his wand and pointed it at his rat.

"Wait! Don't harm the—" 

Aurelia got cut off when a girl walked into their compartment, "Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville lost his." 

The three shook their heads. 

"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it," The girl said before taking a seat next to Aurelia. 

"Sunshine daisy, bottom mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow," Ron said while waving his wand. 

The girl laughed, "Are you sure that's a real spell? It's not very good, is it? Of course, I've only had to try a few simple ones myself, but they've all worked for me." 

Ron and Harry glanced at each other while the girl turned her attention to Harry. 

"For example, _Oculus Reparo_." 

Harry's glasses seemed to fix themselves. Harry and Aurelia's eyes widened in shock. 

"That's better, isn't it? Holy cricket! You're Harry Potter. I'm Hermione Granger." 

Hermione looked at Aurelia and Ron, "And you are?" 

"I'm Aurelia Birdsong." 

"Ron Weasley," he managed to say between his mouthful of candy. 

Hermione grimaced, "Pleasure. You three better change into your robes—I expect we'll be arriving soon." 

Hermione made her way towards the door but turned back to Ron, "You got dirt on your nose, by the way. Right there." 

She closed the door and left Ron to rub his nose. 

"Is it gone?" 

Aurelia and Harry both nodded their heads. 

After they went off to change into their robes, they spent the remainder of the trip talking about Ron's family. 

Once they did arrive, the three walked off the train—Harry approached a very tall man. 

"'Arry!" 

"Hagrid!" They said before hugging each other. 

"Oh, and who are you two?" Hagrid asked. 

"She's Aurelia Birdsong and he's Ronald Weasley," Harry said. 

Hagrid laughed, "Should've known you were a Weasley. It's nice meeting you 'Elia, Ron." 

"Firs' years come on now! Follow me!" Hagrid yelled at the sea of kids. 

Harry, Ron, and Aurelia climbed onto one of the boats. After every first-year got situated on a boat, they began to move towards the castle. 

Aurelia gasped in pure astonishment—the castle was beautiful. She wanted to memorize the picture of the castle glittering in the moonlight. 

A woman in a green gown began to greet the kids once they made it to the castle, "Welcome to Hogwarts! I am Professor McGonagall. Before you can join your classmates and take your seats, you must be sorted. There is Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. While you're here, your house is like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points and rule-breaking will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will win the House Cup—" 

"Trevor!" A boy yelled before grabbing his toad. 

"Sorting will begin momentarily," Professor McGonagall said before leaving. 

After Professor McGonagall left, a boy with platinum blonde hair sauntered over to Harry, "So it's true? What they were saying on the train? That Harry Potter had come to Hogwarts." 

At the mention of Harry's name, whispers broke out in the crowd. 

"I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." 

Ron snickered at the name. 

"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask yours. Red hair and a hand-me-down robe, you must be a Weasley." 

Ron looked down at his feet. Aurelia wanted to stand up to the boy, but she was afraid of what he would say about her. She hated that Malfoy had mocked someone's family and their situation, but she also realized he said it because Ron had laughed at his name—it was some sort of self-defense for the boy. Yet, it still did not justify Malfoy to insult Ron's whole family. 

"You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don't want to be making friends with the wrong sort." Malfoy stated as he glared at Ron and Aurelia. 

"I can help you there," Draco Malfoy finished before reaching out his hand. Harry looked at him with a cold glare. 

"I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks," Harry replied coolly—Aurelia smirked at the blonde. 

Professor McGonagall came back out and guided the group of students into the Great Hall. The kids started to point up at the roof—when Aurelia looked up, she stared up in astonishment. 

"It's not real. It's charmed. I read it from _Hogwarts: A History_." Hermione whispered to the students around her. 

Aurelia smiled at Hermione and returned her gaze to the roof. Professor Dumbledore greeted the students and began his rather long speech, but Aurelia paid no attention—she was too busy staring at the ghosts and the environment around her. 

"Ouch, my scar," Harry whispered. Aurelia whipped her head back to look at Harry, who was clutching his scar. 

"Are you alright? Scars aren't normally supposed to be hurt." Aurelia whispered. 

Harry didn't respond to her but stared at the professor at the table. The professor stared back at Harry menacingly before glaring at the students around him. 

"Aurelia Birdsong," Professor McGonagall called out. 

Professor Dumbledore watched Aurelia shakily walk up to the seat with a sparkle in his eyes. 

The Sorting Hat sat on Aurelia's head and began to speak—Aurelia gasped. 

" _Yes, I can talk. Hmmm, you're quite a tricky person. You seem to have a lot of ambition. Slytherin might be fit for you_ — _hmmm, not really. You crave to be intelligent, but I don't think Ravenclaw will be right. Very loyal and kind... oh? You have a strong sense of justice and equality_ — _it should be HUFFLEPUFF!"_ The hat said before Professor McGonagall took the hat off of Aurelia's head. 

Aurelia walked down to the Hufflepuff table and sat down. The table cheered and clapped for Aurelia before the next student got sorted. She hoped that her friends would be sorted into the same house as her, but Hermione, Ron, and Harry were all sorted into Gryffindor. Aurelia would be lying if she said she was disappointed that they weren't in the same house as her, but she knew that it wouldn't stop her from being friends with them. 

After a few more words from Professor Dumbledore, food had appeared in front of her. Aurelia began to take a few slices of whatever she thought looked good and ate her food. The first-years around her introduced themselves to each other. 

"I'm Hannah Abbott!" 

"I'm Susan Bones!" 

"I'm Ernie McMillan!" 

"I'm Justin Finch-Fletchey!" 

"I'm Aurelia Birdsong!" 

The five quickly became friends as they spoke throughout dinner. 

The school around her invited her with the warmth and comfort of friends and food, but things never stayed warm for long. 


	3. Chapter 3

Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall stood in front of Fawkes as Professor Dumbledore watched the sky from his window. The constellations watched his every movement. 

"You mustn't tell anyone about these conversations," Professor Dumbledore said as he turned to the professors stood in front of him.

Professor Dumbledore had been waiting for the time where a Birdsong would come to Hogwarts. He was keen on keeping Aurelia's identity a secret from the Wizarding World until the time was right. If his plans were to go wrong—Aurelia's life would be broken.

"Of course," Professor McGonagall replied as Professor Snape nodded. Both professors were confused about what Professor Dumbledore would say but knew not to question him.

"Danger awaits as both Harry Potter and Aurelia Birdsong are in the same year," Professor Dumbledore replied calmly. 

Having Harry Potter and a Birdsong would only mean that the war was to start sooner.

A war that both children would have to fight in.

"I understand why Harry Potter can be in danger, but why is Ms. Birdsong in danger? She is an average Hufflepuff muggle-born." Professor McGonagall questioned.

"Ms. Birdsong is on a different path from Mr. Potter. A dangerous path, but she'll have to learn how to protect herself. We will have to teach her Occlumency and Legilimency for the time being."

"Such high forms of magic are being taught to a mere eleven-year-old. Are you sure she would be able to handle it?" Professor Snape drawled. Professor Dumbledore nodded before returning his gaze to the outside world.

In time they would understand why Aurelia Birdsong was in danger.

"She'll handle it—prepare her for higher forms of magic in each of her classes. It'll become useful later on."

Professor Dumbledore felt guilty for putting the young girl under an immense amount of pressure, but he was willing to risk it if it meant that they could end the war.

"Will Professor Sprout know? She is her head of house." Professor McGonagall asked.

"I'll be having another meeting with the rest of the teachers to inform them about her situation," Professor Dumbledore said before he dismissed both professors.

No one would be able to predict Aurelia Birdsong's path. Unlike Harry, she did not have a prophecy that could determine her future, but Professor Dumbledore was willing to try. Yet, there were too many variables in her life that Dumbledore could not control. Any wrong movement in his plan would result in the poor girl's life being ruined—or killed.

Secrets began to pile on top of Aurelia's life. More and more secrets seemed to appear as Professor Dumbledore told the rest of her professors. This was just another secret that she would have to learn later in life. 


	4. Chapter 4

Aurelia enjoyed being at Hogwarts.

She had gotten along with the people around her, and she enjoyed the subjects that she studied. Aurelia didn't have the best grades in the school, merely being above average, but she didn't care that she wasn't the smartest in her class. She was proud to pull her own in a place full of people who had lived with magic all around them since the day they were born.

Draco Malfoy and his friends began to target Aurelia after people started to claim her as the Hufflepuff princess. They would relentlessly bully Aurelia and her friends for being Hufflepuffs and for being blood-traitors or mudbloods. When he first called Aurelia and Justin mudbloods, their friends had to explain what being a mudblood meant, which only infuriated Justin even more.

"Hey, mudblood!" Malfoy would yell at Aurelia before taking her books and making sure she didn't get them back until the very last minute before class started.

Malfoy would laugh at Aurelia's pathetic attempts at grabbing her books. "Won't be needing these anymore! You're daft with or without it!" He would say to his friends before they all laughed at her. Aurelia would always run away from him and did her absolute best to ignore his presence.

Aurelia would find herself running back to the Hufflepuff common room—fairy lights, posters, and paintings decorated the walls. Couches were filled with blankets and throw pillows. Tables had small plants on them, and the windows near the tables had plants growing around the frame. She found peace and comfort in the common room. She was able to study and talk to her friends without worrying about Malfoy and his insults. In her excessive amount of time in the common room, she had gotten close to Cedric Diggory and often studied with him. They had created an unbreakable sibling-like relationship.

Aurelia found it hard to maintain her friendships with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She loved to study with Hermione but often felt behind compared to her. Aurelia, Harry, and Ron would spend their time talking about Quidditch—Ron and Harry would try teaching Aurelia how Quidditch worked, but she could never understand. Instead, they would spend their time playing Wizards Chess, which Ron always won.

"Elia, you should go to Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall doesn't like it when students are late," Ron said after they finished their small game of Wizards Chess.

Aurelia laughed, "Sounds like you speak from experience."

"We don't talk about that," Ron muttered.

Aurelia made her way to Transfiguration—her friends had already made their way to the classes before Aurelia. She walked alone in the corridors, but when she heard footsteps and laughter she knew all too well, she picked up her pace.

"Look! The mudblood's by herself!" Malfoy laughed. Aurelia sped up and began to run towards her class, trying to run away from him. The footsteps and shouting increased gradually—Aurelia cursed herself for not being athletic. With one last push, Aurelia made her way into the classroom and sat next to Padma Patil.

Professors had kept a close eye on Aurelia and prepared her for advanced magic. She was oblivious to the fact that she had been learning at an accelerated pace. The professors had charmed her papers to ensure she learned a substantial amount of magic. Some professors began to fail Aurelia to teach her in a private setting. Professor Dumbledore had yet to teach Legilimency to Aurelia, but that would soon change.

"Remember when Justin fell down the stairs!" Ernie laughed out as they walked to the Great Hall. Justin elbowed Ernie's side before letting out a sarcastic laugh.

"It wasn't that funny," Justin grumbled.

Susan laughed, "No, it was that funny."

"Exactly!" Ernie said before eating his pasta.

Hannah looked at Ernie, "Don't you make me bring up the one time—"

"Don't you dare mention it, Hannah."

The group continued to bicker and eat as they talked about the latest drama in Hogwarts.

Zoe came swooping down and placed a letter on Aurelia's hand. She grabbed the letter and gave Zoe some treats—Zoe happily hooted back and flew off. Aurelia opened up the letter, expecting the letter to be from her parents, but found a small piece of burnt parchment.

_Secrets will soon reveal themselves. We'll meet soon, Aurelia._

"Another letter from your parents?" Hannah asked. Aurelia shook her head and handed Hannah the letter.

"Ellie, you have to show that to someone! God, you have to tell Professor Dumbledore! It sounds like someone wants to hurt you," Hannah said before giving the letter to Susan.

Ernie glanced at the letter, "Hannah can be dramatic—"

"I am not dramatic! I just want to make sure she is safe!"

"As I was saying, it could be some sick joke from Malfoy. We already know that he hates your guts and wants to get you all scared," Ernie said.

"Even if it's a joke from Malfoy, Ellie should go show it to Professor Dumbledore. In the best-case scenario, Malfoy gets in trouble. In the worst-case scenario, Aurelia would be at least safer since Professor Dumbledore at least knows that she could be in danger," Hannah replied.

Marcus Flint and his group of friends had walked past the small group of friends.

"Aww, is the little mudblood afraid someone will hurt her?" Flint said as he faked a pout. He grabbed the letter from Justin's hands before reading it out loud.

"Secrets will soon reveal themselves. We'll meet soon, Aurelia," Flint laughed. "Sounds like someone has a secret admirer."

Hannah rolled her eyes, "If you think that's what a love letter sounds like, you have a weird version of love in that warped head of yours."

"Abbott, I would shut that blood-traitor mouth of yours," Flint snarled.

"Don't talk to us," Susan sternly said, but Flint ignored her.

"I hope they get to Birdsong—that's one less mudblood I have to worry about," Flint said as he glared down at Aurelia.

"Watch it, Flint," Cedric walked towards Flint and his friends. Cedric had just walked into the Great Hall, but he had overheard Flint wishing death upon Aurelia.

She felt defeated at his words—she was afraid that someone was out to get her, but people like Flint wanted to watch her die. It hadn't dawned upon her that people simply wanted her to die because of her blood status. She knew that some people had a prejudice against people like her, but she didn't think they would actually want to kill her. She was naïve to imagine the world would be kind to her.

Flint shook his head, "I'm just telling the truth, Diggory. Her kind doesn't deserve magic. No one would notice if she died tomorrow."

Cedric gritted his teeth at his statement. Adrian Pucey, one of the Slytherins, looked annoyed at Flint. "Marcus, that's enough," Pucey said before the Slytherin group walked away.

"You alright there, Birdie?" Cedric asked before ruffling her hair.

"I'll be alright. Thank you, Ced." He nodded before sitting down next to Aurelia and began eating his lunch. Cedric kept his eye on Flint throughout lunch.

"Don't let their words get to you, Ellie. They just believe that they're better than you because of their blood. I feel bad that they will never get to know how amazing you are," Hannah said as she rubbed Aurelia's back. The rest of the Hufflepuffs agreed with Hannah and hugged Aurelia. It didn't matter how many times her friends had reassured her that she was more than enough for magic—she would always find herself questioning their statement—they were her friends after all. Could friends lie to each other? In her head, they could.

She entertained the idea that she didn't deserve magic. Doubt filled her head as she fiddled with her wand.

"Sometimes you're too nice for your own good, Elia. I don't understand how you're still on good terms with those Slytherins even after they wish death on you," Ernie said. He hated how forgiving and kind Aurelia was—he knew that those traits were her strongest suit but her Achilles' heel.

Aurelia shrugged her shoulders, "I just don't think it's fair that they're deemed evil because of their house. We're only eleven—I can't possibly think that they're all evil."

Justin glanced at his watch, "Come on, we have a class to get to."

The small group walked to DADA. Aurelia liked the idea of DADA, but Professor Quirrell scared Aurelia. He had watched her with a careful eye but ignored her in classes.

Aurelia barely learned any DADA from Professor Quirrell, but she still got average grades. She was decent enough at Herbology, even though it was the class that Hufflepuffs excelled in. Professor Snape would never admit that Aurelia was above average in Potions. Despite how Aurelia enjoyed being in a class with Hermione, Harry, and Ron—Aurelia hated Flying class—she made a fool of herself in every lesson. Her best class was by far Charms; Professor Flitwick had even complimented Aurelia on her skills.

When dinner finally came around, the group looked around for Professor Dumbledore.

"Ellie! Professor Dumbledore's over there! Go talk to him!" Hannah said before she pushed Aurelia towards him.

Professor Dumbledore had not noticed Aurelia's presence. "Professor?" Aurelia weakly asked. Even standing next to him, she could feel the power radiating off of him.

"Yes, Ms. Birdsong?"

Aurelia handed the note to Professor Dumbledore, "I got this note today. I—I'm not sure if it's a prank or not, but my friends said I should show you anyways."

Professor Dumbledore's eyebrows creased as he read the note but otherwise stayed calm. "Your friends are correct to tell you to come to me. We'll discuss in my office."

He knew that Aurelia would be in danger, but he couldn't imagine that danger would follow her this quickly. Her lessons would have to start immediately. If people already knew Aurelia's secret, Professor Dumbledore's plan would fail. He would do everything in his power to not let his plan fail.

"Sherbet Lemon?" He asked as they sat down in his office.

Aurelia nodded and took one of the sweets from the jar. The Sherbet Lemon in her mouth brought a strange sense of peace over Aurelia.

"Ms. Birdsong, I would not worry about this letter. The school is under immense protection. You will not get hurt."

Aurelia fiddled with the wand in her hands and nodded. Doubt clouded the back of her mind. No matter what Professor Dumbledore said, she knew that people like Flint would want her to get hurt.

"We can teach you how to protect yourself if that is something you want."

"Yes!" Aurelia exclaimed. In her head, it would be a win-win situation. If she was in danger, she knew how to protect herself. If she wasn't in danger, she would be able to stand up to people like Malfoy and Flint.

Professor Dumbledore smiled at her eagerness, "You will not be able to tell anyone else about your lessons. It is imperative your lessons are kept a secret."

"Of course, professor," Aurelia grinned.

"Your lessons will start tomorrow at 7, Ms. Birdsong."

"Yes, professor."

Aurelia left his office and skipped back to her common room. Happiness filled every step she took. Her hair bounced, and her eyes lit up.

"Birdsong! I heard someone's out to get you. Hope they succeed!" Malfoy yelled at her.

His words didn't affect her—she was going to learn how to protect herself against people like him. "Okay!" She said before continuing her way to her room.

Malfoy stood there in shock. He expected her to cry and run away from him, but she was happy. How could someone be happy when they were in danger?

Dismissing his confusion, he walked back to the library with his friends. He knew that she wouldn't be happy for long if someone wanted to hurt her.

"What did Professor Dumbledore tell you?" Susan said when Aurelia walked through the door.

"It must be good—you can practically see the relief in her face," Justin said.

"He said that I was safe," Aurelia sat down on the couch and threw one of the blankets over her.

"Is that all? You were out for a long time," Hannah asked.

"Bumped into Malfoy on the way back."

Hannah rolled her eyes at his name, "He doesn't know when to stop, does he?"

"Of course he doesn't! Are you going to tell me that anything goes through his head? Anything you tell him won't even go past his hair gel!" Susan said before they all laughed.

They spent the rest of their night catching up with notes and having a small pillow fight in the common room.

The next day arrived quickly for Aurelia. Yet, the hours seemed to last longer than they usually did. It wasn't the ideal circumstances for Aurelia to be in, but she welcomed the idea of learning advanced magic.

She ran down to the library early in the morning—she wanted to get most of her homework out of the way before her classes started. She did not want to worry about homework when she was studying under Professor Dumbledore. Aurelia sat down at one of the desks but found Hermione reading a book and aggressively writing down notes. Aurelia walked towards Hermione.

"Mione? Is it okay if I sit here?" Aurelia whispered to Hermione.

Hermione moved the books off of the chair next to her and motioned for Aurelia to sit down. The two girls began to do their work in silence. Aurelia attempted to make small talk with Hermione, but it was clear that Hermione was either not interested or not paying attention.

"Mione? What do you want to be when you're older?"

Hermione looked up and stared at Aurelia, "Not sure. What do you want to be?"

"My mum is a pharmacist, and my dad is a doctor. I want to follow in their footsteps—do you think there's something like that in the Wizarding World?"

"Of course there is. You can always talk to Madam Pomfrey and ask to help her. I'm pretty sure that she needs help around the Hospital Wing."

Aurelia broke out into a grin, "You're a genius, Mione! I'm going to talk to Madam Pomfrey right now!"

Aurelia walked out of the library and made her way towards the Hospital Wing. The distinct voice of Peeves had grown closer to where Aurelia was. Deciding it was best not to interfere with Peeves, Aurelia took a longer path to the Hospital Wing.

The Hospital Wing only had a few students when Aurelia walked in. Madam Pomfrey glanced at Aurelia to check for any major injury.

"I'm not hurt, Madam Pomfrey. I was wondering if I could help you in the Hospital Wing."

Madam Pomfrey hesitantly nodded, "Are you sure? Wouldn't you rather be with your friends?"

"I want to help!" Aurelia said.

"I would like your help, but you have to maintain your grades. You will not be helping students, but you will be helping me."

"Okay!"

Madam Pomfrey nodded, "Come whenever you can. Breakfast should be starting now."

Aurelia left the room filled with excitement. She would be learning magic to protect herself, and she would be helping others—she was over the moon. Determination filled her eyes as she knew that she would have to balance helping at the Hospital Wing and learning under Professor Dumbledore. It didn't cross her mind to think that she was biting off more than she could chew.

Hannah, Susan, Justin, and Ernie watched as Aurelia fiddled with her wand and glanced up at the clock. When the clock hit 6:30, Aurelia excused herself and began walking to Professor Dumbledore's office. The four friends watched as she walked out and looked back at each other in confusion.

By the time Aurelia made her way to Professor Dumbledore's office, he was already waiting for her. The two walked into his office and sat down in the chairs opposite of each other.

"Good evening, Ms. Birdsong."

"Hello, professor."

"I will be helping you learn Legilimency—this allows you to see inside your victim's mind."

Aurelia did not like the sound of Legilimency. She hated the idea of invading someone's privacy and using it to her advantage. Thinking about this form of magic threw off her sense of balance. Bile raised in her throat, but she forced it back down.

"I'm sorry, professor, but how would this protect me?"

Professor Dumbledore smiled, "You will understand later on."

She shivered at the idea of using Legilimency—she had barely learned what Legilimency was, and she already hated it. There was no way in her mind that would justify using this form of magic in her life.

"Don't you think it's a bad idea to invade someone's mind for your personal gain?"

Professor Dumbledore shook his head, "Ms. Birdsong, the more complex a situation is—the lines between morality begins to blur."

Aurelia had a strong sense of her morals and feared what it meant to have it changed.

"But, how would I practice? I don't want to invade someone's mind."

Professor Dumbledore shook his head, "You will be performing Legilimency on me."

Aurelia shook her head immediately—she didn't want to invade her headmaster's mind. Professor Dumbledore had been planning for her to practice on him. She would never be able to get into his mind, but it would make it easier for her in the future to practice Legilimency on others.

"Would you like me to demonstrate?"

Aurelia cautiously nodded her head. Professor Dumbledore took out his wand, " _Legilimens."_

Memories tore out of Aurelia's mind. Different sensations overwhelmed Aurelia and enveloped her body. The emotions she felt from the glimpses of the memories, she felt ten-fold. Aurelia tried fighting the foreign feeling inside her mind, but it was no use. Professor Dumbledore lingered around in some of her memories.

_Stuffed animals and blankets covered Aurelia and her bed. Pain shot up Aurelia's body. She began to move her body, but her limbs would not cooperate._

_"HELP ME!" Aurelia tried shouting, but no words came out of her mouth. Whimpers left her throat, but no one was close enough to hear her. Hours passed, and Aurelia still couldn't move. She closed her eyes and opened them, but nothing changed._

_Aurelia sobbed and sobbed, the tears rushing down into her throat_ — _she began to choke on her own tears._

_The feeling of death in her room was palpable. Yet, when Aurelia was about to faint from the lack of oxygen, she was able to move once more. When Aurelia closed her eyes and opened them once more, she could move perfectly fine._

_The next night, it continued._

_"Mum? Can I sleep with you tonight?"_

_Rowan nodded her head in confusion. That night, Aurelia slept in between her parents, hoping that they could protect her._

_Yet, her parents couldn't protect her. The cycle continued, but her parents had no clue what was happening._

Professor Dumbledore stopped watching Aurelia's memories. Tears streamed down Aurelia's face, and crescent-shaped marks littered her palms. Her throat felt scratchy, and her head hurt.

She had no recollection of those memories. Her brain frantically tried to piece the memory together, but nothing seemed to work. The memory had been floating in her mind—not grounded in reality.

Sweat dripped from Aurelia's forehead and onto her robes. The air became too hot for her, and she quickly took off her robes. Aurelia took one of the Sherbet Lemons from the jar again and waited for peace to calm her senses. When it didn't calm her down enough, she put another Sherbet Lemon in her mouth.

"Are you alright, Ms. Birdsong?" Aurelia let out a shaky breath.

"I will be."

"Would you like to continue?"

Aurelia did not want to disappoint Professor Dumbledore and nodded her head.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, professor."

Professor Dumbledore didn't think it was a good idea for her but decided to continue with her lesson.

"All you have to do is point your wand at my forehead and say the incantation, _Legilimens."_

Aurelia took her wand from her pocket and raised her wand, " _Legilimens,"_ but nothing happened. Professor Dumbledore only smiled at her and urged her to continue. The bile that was once in her body reappeared in her already scratchy throat.

By the end of the hour, Aurelia had attempted Legilimency multiple times with little to no progress. She felt nauseated each time she performed Legilimency, but she managed to break down Professor Dumbledore's first wall. He had congratulated her on being able to do so in her first lesson, but in doing so, it broke Aurelia knowing that she would be able to learn Legilimency quickly.

"You did very well, Ms. Birdsong. Are you all right?"

Aurelia let out a shaky breath, "I've been better."

"Would you like another Sherbet Lemon?"

She took as many as her hand could hold. Professor Dumbledore laughed, "Take the whole jar, Ms. Birdsong."

"Are you sure, professor?"

Professor Dumbledore nodded before handing Aurelia the jar. She put the handful of Sherbet Lemons back in the jar, "Thank you, professor."

He smiled, "Of course. Will you be able to come tomorrow?"

"Yes, professor."

"Goodnight, Ms. Birdsong."

"Goodnight, professor."

Aurelia walked out of the office calmly, but when the office door closed, she ran. Disgust clenched around her heart as she ran down the corridor—desperate to get far away from the office. Tired from running around, Aurelia sat down on one of the benches in the corridor to try and gather her breath. Yet, nothing worked. Her brain had not processed what happened in his office, but she knew she had to go back the next day—she couldn't let him down.

Minutes passed, and Aurelia could not shake the sick feeling in her mind. She opened the jar of Sherbet Lemons and put one in her mouth, waiting for the sweet to calm her down. Once her breathing slowed, Aurelia began to make her way back to her dorm. The wand in her pocket—her wand—weighed her down.

Before walking into her dorm, Aurelia put a smile on her face and opened the door. Instead of finding her dorm mates, she found a note.

_We're in the library if you need us!_

_\- S & H_

Aurelia put down the note and headed to the shower. Maybe taking a shower would help her wash away the dirty magic she had performed. She rubbed her hands raw, trying to make sure the traces of Legilimency would go away. Tears streamed down her face when it didn't work.

Aurelia felt like a monster for doing such dark magic.

Her hands were red and burning after her shower. Aurelia walked back to her bed and held her wand—it felt significantly lighter than before. Upon inspection, her wand was standard. The only part of her wand that stood out was the vines decorating the end of her wand. The unicorn hair wouldn't allow her to perform dark magic, but it failed her.

Magic wasn't as fun as Aurelia remembered. 


	5. Chapter 5

Aurelia spent most of her time in classes, Professor Dumbledore's office, and the Hospital Wing. It seemed like the more Legilimency lessons she had, the more she had to balance it out with some form of work. Her friends didn't see her as often, but they were proud that she was helping the school.

Aurelia wore herself thin but continued to put a smile on her face and went through her day. Her work ethic wasn't stable, and Aurelia knew it, but work felt like the only thing that grounded her in reality and not her headspace. _Floating memories_ repeated in her head. It was mentioned briefly in one of the Legilimency books she had been reading, but it struck a chord in her heart. The book had only stated that floating memories were one of the hardest memories to find because the victim had successfully blocked it from their own memories—a trauma response. 

_This form of a trauma response is one of the most troubling forms of Occlumency: the art of closing one's mind to Legilimency._

Aurelia was intrigued by the art of Occlumency and found herself going reading books about Occlumency. She brought up the prospect of learning Occlumency to Professor Dumbledore, but he had simply stated that she had to master Legilimency before Occlumency. She sadly nodded before having to perform Legilimency once more. 

Madam Pomfrey watched as Aurelia obsessively read books about Occlumency and Legilimency in her corner of the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey decided not to bring up Aurelia's reading habits. The thick leather-bounded books were a stark contrast to her desk. Pictures of friends and families, Hufflepuff banners, jars of Sherbet Lemon decorated her desk. Professor Dumbledore sent her jars filled with Sherbet Lemon with a small note stating that she shouldn't be going through the jars too quickly. 

Aurelia was interrupted from her reading when she heard small sobs entering the Hospital Wing. She quickly looked up to find Padma Patil cradling her arm, "Madam Pomfrey! Please help me!"

Aurelia and Madam Pomfrey walked towards Padma and found hundreds of boils covering her arms. 

Aurelia let out an audible gasp, "Oh goodness, what happened, Padma?" 

" _Malfoy,"_ Padma spat out. Madam Pomfrey began muttering under her breath and quickly left to find some healing salve. Padma let out a whimper as the boils spread to her shoulders. Aurelia led Padma to one of the hospital beds and sat down next to her. 

"That's horrible. Malfoy's a foul git!" Aurelia said. 

Madam Pomfrey walked towards the bed and began to apply the salve to her arms and shoulders. 

"Everyone from a mile away can see how evil he is," Padma said as she continued to wince. 

Aurelia nodded, "Did any of the professors see it? Surely he's going to be in trouble." 

"Professor Snape saw, but Aurelia, you know how he is—Malfoy was off the hook just like that!" Padma said as she snapped her fingers. 

"Professor Snape is foul. Madam Pomfrey, is there anything you can do about Malfoy?" Madam Pomfrey shook her head at Aurelia's question. 

"There's not much I can do. I'm sorry, Ms. Patil." 

When the boils on Padma's arms had calmed down and were barely noticeable, she quickly left. It had become a routine for students to come to the Hospital Wing because of a random jinx or hex Malfoy had performed on them. With this knowledge, Aurelia kept a careful eye on Malfoy whenever she could. She had also warned the people around her about what he had done—she was determined to make sure that people would not be getting hurt by Malfoy. 

"Hey, Birdsong!" The sickening voice had said behind Aurelia. She quickened her pace, desperate to make it out of the isolated corridor, but he grabbed her arm. 

"Please, stop!" Aurelia cried and yanked her arm away from his grasp. Crabbe and Goyle laughed at Aurelia's panicked state. 

"I'll have to wash my hands after touching filth," Malfoy sneered. "I was asking for you, Birdsong, or would you rather be called mudblood?" 

"I would rather you not talk to me," Aurelia quickly said. She glanced around at the corridor, but Malfoy had her trapped. 

"Finally gaining some confidence, _mudblood?"_ Malfoy said. 

Aurelia shook her head and whimpered when he took a step closer, "Please, leave me alone, Malfoy." 

Malfoy laughed, "Look at her—the _Hufflepuff Princess_ — cowers to me. Proves how useless the house is." 

Her eyes narrowed at Malfoy, "Stop it." 

Malfoy lazily smirked, "No, I don't think I will. I actually have been wanting to try out this new hex—" 

Aurelia took out her wand and pointed it at him, "Don't even try." 

Malfoy's grey eyes only showed pure amusement, "You're too nice to try anything. Come on, Birdsong. Try me." 

He mockingly put his hands up and motioned for Crabbe and Goyle to put their hands up as well. The three watched as she lowered her wand. It was as if he saw right through her. 

It was like he knew exactly how she would respond to him. 

"See, too nice," Malfoy said. 

Aurelia shook her head and fiddled with her wand, "Unlike you, I don't want to hurt people." 

"And where's the fun in that?" Malfoy questioned. 

"I don't find it funny when people are hurt, Malfoy," Aurelia said. 

Malfoy rolled his eyes, "Well, Birdsong, you'll end up hurting someone eventually."

He laughed when she glared at him. 

"I bet you don't even know how to properly protect yourself. You can read all of those books and study as hard as you can, but you can't beat someone like me," Malfoy said. 

"I'm still holding my own. I didn't know that blood purity equates to intelligence," Aurelia stated—annoyance intertwined her words. 

Malfoy laughed, "Oh, Birdsong, I am quite intelligent—but unlike you, I'll be able to get a job in the Ministry either way." 

Aurelia opened her mouth to speak but closed it quickly. Would all of her hard work go to waste just so people like Malfoy could get jobs just because he had power? A tinge of anger went through her body. 

"At least I know what it's like to be hard-working—" 

Malfoy quickly cut Aurelia off, "Hard-work won't get you anywhere in life." 

"It will because when life is unfair to you—you're the one who would give up," Aurelia said. 

Malfoy laughed. In his mind, he had control over his life. There was no way that life would be unfair to him when he was a Malfoy.

Aurelia used this distraction as a way to run out of the corridor. Crabbe and Goyle nudged Malfoy to signal that Aurelia had left. Malfoy scoffed, disappointed that he couldn't use _Petrificus Totalus_ on her. 

After this confrontation, the next few weeks became unbearably difficult for Aurelia to go through. Malfoy had taunted the Hufflepuffs much more throughout the weeks. He did everything in his power to watch her cry—to watch her crumble underneath him. He knew the best way to torment her was not to outright bully her but to isolate her. To do this, he tormented the people around her to the fullest extent. Slowly but surely, multiple students began to avoid talking to Aurelia in public. Only the older students and Aurelia's closest friends continued to be friends with her publicly—they were the only ones who didn't care about Malfoy. Yet, Aurelia didn't want her friends consistently fighting with Malfoy just to talk to her, so she slowly isolated herself from her friends. 

Malfoy had effectively isolated Aurelia from school. By the next month, Aurelia spent most of her time in the Hospital Wing—the only place Malfoy couldn't bully her. 

He wore her isolation like a badge of honor. He was the one to cause Aurelia to crumble from underneath herself. It was some sick form of ego-boosting that he had. 

Aurelia hated walking back to her dorm. Malfoy would tease her from across the hallway as she walked towards the kitchens. But, even worse than his tormenting was countless hours of Aurelia silently crying into her pillow at night after each Legilimency lesson. Concealment charms allowed her to get away with her raw hands and tear-stained cheeks. 

Each Legilimency lesson became more intense as Professor Dumbledore incorporated DADA. As much as Aurelia liked learning DADA, Legilimency was always the main focus of the lessons. The longer the lessons became—the longer Aurelia would spend washing herself to rid her body of guilt. 

When Halloween arrived, she found herself all alone at her desk in the Hospital Wing. As much as she wanted to be with her friends, she didn't want them to worry about Malfoy. Aurelia knew that he bullied them much worse when she was around—guilt would've drowned her if she was the indirect cause of their suffering. She couldn't let him ruin their Halloween.

"Aurelia, are you sure you don't want to go out with your friends?" Madam Pomfrey asked as she watched Aurelia scribble down notes. 

"I'll be okay, Madam Pomfrey. I'll be at the feast. Don't worry about me," Aurelia said with a slight smile. Madam Pomfrey knew that she was lying but decided against pushing Aurelia too far. 

"Alright," Madam Pomfrey said before leaving Aurelia. 

Aurelia put another Sherbet Lemon in her mouth as she flipped the page of her book. She couldn't understand how Hermione had the drive to work for hours on end. Instead of doing any work, Aurelia doodled on her notes. 

When the sun began to set, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle walked into the Hospital Wing. Malfoy was pathetically whining as he shielded his face. Aurelia set down her quill and walked over to Madam Pomfrey and Malfoy. 

Madam Pomfrey led Malfoy to one of the beds, and he quickly hid his face in the pillow. 

"Are you alright, Malfoy?" Aurelia asked. 

She only heard muffled words in return. Crabbe and Goyle sat on either side of Malfoy, not knowing what to do. Madam Pomfrey and Aurelia glanced at each other before looking back at Malfoy. 

"Mr. Malfoy, what's wrong?" 

His words continued to be muffled by the pillows. Madam Pomfrey quickly became annoyed. 

"Mr. Malfoy, I cannot help you if I do not understand what's wrong." 

Malfoy lifted his head. His face had boils all over them—the same boils Padma Patil had a few months back. 

"Goodness," Madam Pomfrey said and quickly went to look for the salve in the storage. 

"That must hurt," Aurelia curtly said. 

Malfoy snarled at her, "I still look better than you do." 

"No need to insult me. I'm just trying to help," Aurelia said. 

Malfoy let out a fake laugh, "Helping by standing around? Pathetic." 

Malfoy whimpered again as the boils multiplied. 

Aurelia grimaced and looked away from the boils, "Sorry." 

He continued to hiss in pain as the boils went down his neck, "Where is Madam Pomfrey anyways?" 

"She must be looking for another package of the salve she used. Tons of students needed the salve," Aurelia replied. 

"That stupid, _Padma_ girl," Malfoy hissed. Aurelia wanted to smile for Padma, who had gotten her revenge, but she forced herself to stop smiling. 

Madam Pomfrey walked towards the bed with a new container of salve, "Mr. Malfoy, please lift your head." 

Malfoy lifted his head from the pillow and winced as Madam Pomfrey began applying the salve. Professor Dumbledore walked into the Hospital Wing, and Aurelia absentmindedly clutched onto her wand. 

"Poppy, may I talk to you for a moment?" Professor Dumbledore asked. Madam Pomfrey nodded before looking at Aurelia and handing her the container. 

"Aurelia, please help put this on Mr. Malfoy. I'll be right back," Madam Pomfrey said before heading out with Professor Dumbledore. 

"Don't touch me," Draco spat. 

Aurelia glanced at the boils returning to his face, "I mean, you can keep the boils if you want, or you can get Crabbe and Goyle to put it on for you." 

Draco grabbed the container and handed it to Goyle. 

"Better him than you," Draco said. 

"Fine by me," Aurelia replied before returning to her desk. She could hear Draco yelling at Goyle and grabbing the container to put it on himself. Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle quickly left the Hospital Wing as Draco continued to yell at the both of them. 

Madam Pomfrey walked back in, a bit startled, but glanced over at Aurelia. 

"Aurelia, go to the feast," Madam Pomfrey said. 

"See you later, Madam Pomfrey," Aurelia replied. 

Aurelia left the Hospital Wing and walked to the Great Hall, and sat down at her seat. 

"Elia, we have so much to tell you!" Justin said before the group began to ramble. 

"I don't like Zacharias Smith! He's such a jerk!" Susan whined. 

"What did he do this time?" Ernie asked. 

"He blamed me when our potion failed! He didn't even do anything!" 

"Granted, he did give you all of the credit," Justin said. Susan smacked Justin on his arm before she continued her rant about Zacharias. By the time Susan finished her rant, the Halloween Feast was about to end. 

"Anyways, how are you all do—" 

Susan was about to finish but got cut off by Professor Quirrell running into the Great Hall. 

"TROLL IN THE DUNGEON!" Professor Quirrell yelled. After the student body processed his words, chaos erupted. 

"SILENCE!" Professor Dumbledore yelled—everyone stopped in their tracks. 

"Everyone, please, will not panic. Now, prefects will lead their house to their dormitories. Teachers will follow me to the dungeons," Professor Dumbledore announced. 

The prefects began leading their house to their respective common room. Cedric and his friends stood close by Aurelia and her friends. 

"I'm not going to let a troll hurt you. As long as I'm alive, I'll be here to protect you," Cedric said before ruffling Aurelia's hair. 

"Ced, I'll be fine! I don't always need you to protect me," Aurelia said before standing on her tip-toes to ruffle his hair but failed. Cedric laughed as Aurelia jumped to pet his hair. 

"You can help us, Cedric," Justin intervened. 

Cedric laughed, "Of course," before turning back to Aurelia. 

"I know you don't need me to protect you, but I want to," Cedric said. 

Aurelia nodded, "Fine, but I'll be here to heal you." 

Cedric smiled at Aurelia's statement, "That's a deal." 

Both Cedric and Aurelia began bickering. Soon, both groups of friends began bickering with Cedric and Aurelia as they made it through the Kitchens. 

When the girls were back in their dorms, Susan pulled out three Gryffindor scarves. 

"Elia? Are you going to the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin game?" Susan asked. 

"I don't have a choice, do I?" Aurelia replied as she eyed the scarves. 

"Nope!" Susan said before throwing a scarf at Aurelia and Hannah's face. 

"Ouch," Hannah muttered.

"Elia, you're friends with Harry! Have you talked to him about the game? He's the youngest seeker in a century!" Susan excitedly said. 

Aurelia shook her head, "Vaguely? I haven't talked to Harry much." 

"Susie, you know how much worse it'll be if Malfoy sees Aurelia talking to Harry. That's like a whole disaster waiting to happen," Hannah said. 

Susan dramatically fell onto her bed, "I just want to know more about Quidditch." 

"You can always pick up a book," Hannah replied.

Susan groaned, "That's no fun! I have to wait another year or two to try out, and it's killing me!"

"Out of the three of us, you have the best shot at making the team," Aurelia said. 

Hannah lightly laughed at Aurelia, "Yeah, we both are miserable when it comes to flying." 

Susan stood up on her bed, "Watch me become the next Hufflepuff chaser!" 

Hannah and Aurelia both clapped as Susan began dancing on her bed, pretending she just scored. Susan excitedly sat back down and started talking about Quidditch. 

On the day of the Quidditch match, Aurelia found herself helping Madam Pomfrey getting the beds ready. 

"Goodness, why would these students play games like this? Do you know how many injuries they go through in one practice—let alone one match?" Madam Pomfrey said to Aurelia. 

"A few," Aurelia replied. 

Madam Pomfrey shook her head, "I wish there were only a few injuries. I either get the whole team, or some student gets their skull cracked. 

"That's horrible," Aurelia said. 

"Indeed, now come on. We have to watch this game," Madam Pomfrey told her before they walked out of the Hospital Wing. Aurelia tightened the Gryffindor scarf around her neck. 

Aurelia departed from Madam Pomfrey and made her way through the Hufflepuff stands and sat next to her friends.

"The match's about to begin!" Susan squealed. 

Susan had pointed excitingly at the game and yelled "FOUL" whenever she caught the Slytherin players purposefully hurting the Gryffindor team. Aurelia was more focused on Susan and Lee Jordan's commentary than the actual game, but she kept a close eye on Harry. She would've hated it if he was to crack his skull—that would be a painful process to heal. 

When Harry's broom began to malfunction, Aurelia sucked in a breath and clutched onto Hannah's arm. The whole Hufflepuff stand watched in silence as Harry sporadically moved around on his broom. The same question raced everybody's mind: what was going on? 

The only answer they had was Lee Jordan screaming into the mic. 

It felt like hours before Harry regained his balance on his broom and began looking for the Golden Snitch. Blurs of red and gold falling kept everyone on their feet. Harry shakily stood up and started gagging. Instead of vomiting, Harry threw up the Golden Snitch.

"HARRY POTTER'S GOT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS!" Lee Jordan yelled. The crowd erupted into cheers and applause, much to the Slytherin's dismay. The Quidditch players made their way off the field and to the Hospital Wing. 

"I have to go help Madam Pomfrey. I'll see you later," Aurelia told her friends before making her way to the Hospital Wing. When she did walk into the Hospital Wing, players filled the room.

Madam Pomfrey sighed in relief when she saw Aurelia. "Good, you're here. Can you help heal minor cuts and bruises? Anything more than that, give them to me." 

"Are you sure, Madam Pomfrey? I've never—" 

"Do not doubt yourself, Aurelia. You are more than ready to use a simple spell," Madam Pomfrey said before leaving Aurelia to help a student. 

Aurelia made her way to the players and started healing their cuts and bruises. She began to feel more at ease as she used _Episkey._

"Princess Aurelia, a pleasure to meet you. Ron and Harry speak very highly of you," A voice said from behind her. Aurelia turned around to find the Weasley twins looking down at her. 

"Oh? Thank you?" Aurelia said as she inspected the twin's arms.

"Freddie, you gotta introduce yourself to her highness," the twin whispered into Fred's ear. 

"I'm sorry about Fred—he has no manners. I'm George, and he's Fred." 

"Hello, Fred. Hello, George. _Episkey!"_ Aurelia said as she pointed at a bruise on Fred's arm. 

"It was nice meeting you, Fred and George! I would love to sit down and chat, but I have to help Madam Pomfrey," Aurelia said. The twins nodded and walked away from the Hospital Wing. Before they walked out of the Hospital Wing, they turned around and yelled, "Goodbye, Princess Aurelia!" 

The whole Hospital Wing turned around and watched Aurelia turn pink. She awkwardly laughed and walked to Harry. 

"Congrats on the game, Harry!" Aurelia said.

Harry smiled, "Thanks, Elia." 

Madam Pomfrey glanced over at Aurelia, "No time for chit-chat, Aurelia! I already healed Harry. More students to help!" 

Aurelia turned back to Harry, "I'll talk to you later. You don't want Madam Pomfrey mad, trust me." 

After most players left, Madam Pomfrey dismissed Aurelia. Weeks had passed from the first Quidditch game of the season. Many of the players had become accustomed to Aurelia healing their bruises and cuts. They often divided themselves in the Hospital Wing. One-half of the Hospital Wing would be for small cuts and bruises Aurelia could heal. The other half were injuries that Madam Pomfrey had to heal. 

Tests had come and gone as Christmas quickly approached. The workload began to lessen as the break approached—only Professor Snape had made the students do more work than usual. Professor Dumbledore was proud of the progress Aurelia had made in both Legilimency and DADA—she was clearly getting stronger in each lesson. 

Aurelia excitedly waited for the break—she would be able to see her parents and avoid Malfoy at the same time. Malfoy had bullied Aurelia much less than he used to, often getting ridiculed by his own house for causing Aurelia so much pain. Yet, Malfoy still found ways to torment her. 

On the last day before the break began, Aurelia and her group of friends exchanged their gifts. Aurelia had bought gifts and candies to share with her friends and the school. Anyone who had talked to Aurelia had gotten candies with a small Christmas card from her—she wanted to make sure that people had at least one gift for Christmas. 

"Birdsong!" Malfoy yelled at her. 

Aurelia turned around and smiled at him—she was determined to make sure that Malfoy didn't ruin her Christmas spirit. 

"Yes?" She asked. 

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had made their way closer to Aurelia. 

"I'm guessing you don't want any of my candy?" Aurelia said as she put up her bag of candies and cards. Crabbe and Goyle forced themselves to stay glued to Malfoy's side rather than take Aurelia's candy. 

"We don't need your charity. Your filthy hands contaminated it all," Malfoy snarled. 

"Okay?" Aurelia said. 

"There's no one around to yell at me for tormenting you," Malfoy said. 

Aurelia stopped herself from backing up. "Merry Christmas," she said before leaving Malfoy in the corridor. 

Malfoy hated how Aurelia was becoming more confident—she had slowly stopped isolating herself from her friends and started to smile even more. He wanted to continue bullying her. He missed the joy as he watched her grow miserable. 

He wanted to watch Aurelia fall over her own feet. 

The higher they are, the harder they fall.


	6. Chapter 6

On Christmas day, Aurelia and her parents spent their day opening presents and making cookies. Her parents listened as Aurelia rambled about her friends and how much she loved them. She made sure to filter out the Legilimency lessons she had to take when she talked to her parents—surely her parents would take her out of Hogwarts if they found out. 

"Dad, didn't you read my letter? Hufflepuff is the house of justice, loyalty, and hard work." 

Her mum laughed. "You've sent plenty of letters. I'm sure he forgot." 

"Hufflepuff sounds like the best house to me," her dad said. Aurelia beamed and wrapped her Hufflepuff scarf around her dad's neck. 

"I, Aurelia Birdsong, officially declare you as an honorary member of the Hufflepuff house." 

"I am honored," her dad said before bowing. 

Her mum smiled at her husband and child playing around. "What house do you think I would be in?" 

Aurelia thought for a moment. Her mother was a complex person, but it was obvious to Aurelia what house her mother would be in. 

"Slytherin. It gets a bad rep, but they're ambitious and resourceful. Oh! And Merlin came from Slytherin!" 

"I like the sound of that," her mum said. 

The alarm rang, signaling that the cookies had finished baking. Her dad took out the tray of cookies. The family began decorating their Christmas cookies, and soon after, they started to eat their cookies.

"Is there anyone bullying you at school?" Her father asked. 

Her mum scoffed. "We said we weren't going to ask her those questions on Christmas, Connor." 

"I'm just a concerned father, Rowan. I want to know if I need to send any angry letters to their families." 

Aurelia didn't want to tell him about Malfoy or Flint. If her father sent their families angry letters, she would only get teased more. 

"I can handle myself," Aurelia said. She said it with such confidence that even she would've believed herself. 

"I know—I just worry. You're our little girl. I don't know what I would do if I saw you hurt," her father confessed. 

Aurelia stiffened. She was glad that she didn't mention her Legilimency lessons to her parents. Her parents wouldn't see her for most of the school year—she could continue to hide the truth from her parents about Malfoy and her Legilimency lessons. 

Aurelia put on her brightest smile. "Don't worry about me, dad. I'm strong!" 

"Of course, you get that from your mother." 

"That's true," her mother jokingly said. 

When the family finished eating their cookies, they all made their way to bed. 

Ever since Aurelia had her Legilimency lessons, she had trouble sleeping in her room. She could feel her bedroom walls closing in on her when she closed her eyes. She could feel the tears dripping down her throat. 

Aurelia quickly ran out of her Sherbet Lemons in her first few days at home. Instead of sleeping, she would spend most of her night staring out of the window, counting the leaves on the tree. She would count all of the leaves until she fell asleep. 

_Peck. Peck._

An owl with a rather large package waited outside her window. When she opened the window, the owl dropped the package on her desk. 

"Why, thank you, kind owl." The owl quickly left, and Aurelia closed the window. 

In the large package was a thick leather-bound book with the words _Birdsong Family_ engraved in gold. Aurelia's eyebrow furrowed in confusion as she began opening the book. On the first page of the book was a newspaper with the heading: **_THE BIRDSONG FAMILY TRAGICALLY MURDERED._ **

Aurelia laughed at the ridiculousness of the book. How could the Birdsong family be murdered if her parents were still alive? 

She continued to flip through the book, but it only made her more confused. Nothing in the book made sense to her—she had never heard of the people mentioned in the photographs, letters, newspapers, and journal entries. 

It had to be a coincidence—there had to be another Birdsong family out there. The people she was reading about were pure-bloods while she was a muggle-born. 

It wasn't common in the Wizarding World to have the same last name as someone else without being a close relative. If the book was real—she held her family's history in her hands.

Like the book had wanted to confuse her, the last page had the _Sacred 28,_ but the Birdsong name was not there. Aurelia's head hurt as she tried to understand all of the contradictions in the book. 

She spent hours re-reading the pages until the words etched themselves into her brain. 

No, there was no way that the book was about Aurelia's family. Her parents were just as confused as her when they found out she was a witch. How was she supposed to believe a book? 

Something in her gut told her that this wasn't some elaborate prank. Aurelia flipped back to the last letter in the book. 

_Dear Tomas,_

_Had it not been for the fact that you and your wife are expecting, we would have to speak about the upcoming war. Not many people believe that the war is coming, but I know. We know that this is how the events are playing out._

_Protect your family. Juniper and the baby on the way need their parents._

_They will be after us._

_Sincerely,_

_Seraphina Bones._

Aurelia's eyebrows furrowed at the name _Seraphina Bones._ There was a strong possibility that Susan was somehow related to Seraphina. If Susan did know who Susan was, maybe then Aurelia could figure out if the book was lying or not. 

The last page of the book seemed to be stuck together. Aurelia forcefully separated the page from the book but ended up getting a small paper cut. 

Aurelia glanced at the paper cut on her ring finger but returned her attention to the last page. If the book intended to make Aurelia confused, it was doing a good job. 

The last page had no correlation to the Birdsong family. Instead of anything that related to the family, it was just a small story. 

_Icarus began his long journey across the sea. Power radiated his veins and encouraged him to fly higher. His beautiful wings, crafted by his father, flew gracefully against the sky. As Icarus grew eager, he began flying higher and higher._

_O Icarus, why didn't you listen to your father?_

_The wax from his wings started to drip down as he flew higher. Icarus began to panic, but it was too late. His wings had melted off, and he found himself falling towards the sea below him._

Aurelia didn't understand why the story was in the book. Was it a myth that the family liked? Was it a story that the family read to each other? 

Aurelia could've sworn that she saw a picture of a family with two kids. It made sense—a story the parents must have told their kids. It was an odd story to read to their children, but it was still a story.

It was just a silly story. 

When she glanced back at the window, the sun had already been up. Aurelia didn't want to tell her parents—she didn't want to bring them into her mess. Instead, she asked her parents about her grandparents and their family history. Nothing that her parents said correlated with the book. 

* * *

Aurelia kept the leather-bound book in her bag as the family walked towards the platform. 

"Bye, Ellie. Stay safe. I love you," her mum said.

"I will, mum. Don't worry about me." 

Aurelia hugged her parents and waved goodbye before heading towards the train. Just as she got closer to the train, she accidentally tripped on a shoe. 

"I'm so sorry," Aurelia said before looking up at the person. 

The person had the same platinum blond hair as Malfoy but was much older than the Malfoy she knew—it must've been his father. Mr. Malfoy glared down at Aurelia and scoffed at her presence. She slightly turned her head and locked eyes with Malfoy, who seemed smug. 

Aurelia's parents ran over to her and helped Aurelia up. 

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Her dad asked. 

"I'm fine, dad." 

Mr. Malfoy scoffed at Aurelia and her parents. "Is this someone you know, Draco?" 

Malfoy nodded his head. "Her name's Aurelia Birdsong, a _mudblood_. Get this—she's a Hufflepuff." 

Aurelia's parents tensed behind her. Yet, Malfoy's parents didn't respond the way he wanted them to. They stared at Aurelia with barely noticeable widened eyes. 

"Be more careful next time, Ms. Birdsong," Mr. Malfoy coolly said before turning to her parents. "You must be her parents, I assume?" 

Malfoy looked shocked that his father appeared civil to the Birdsongs. Aurelia was a muggle-born, and her parents were muggles, something the Malfoys didn't take lightly. Yet, Mr. Malfoy didn't seem to care. 

Her mum's brown eyes narrowed. "Yes, we are Aurelia's parents." 

Mr. Malfoy smirked before holding out his hand. "Lucius Malfoy. This is my wife, Narcissa. I believe my son and your daughter know each other?" 

"I believe so," her father monotonously said. They shook each other's hand—a firm handshake. 

Mr. Malfoy looked pleased with himself. "Draco, can you take Ms. Birdsong up to the train. Your mother and I would like to talk to her parents." 

Malfoy, on the other hand, looked less than pleased to escort Aurelia. He took her bags and began muttering under his breath. 

Aurelia waved goodbye to her parents before they both entered the train. Aurelia enjoyed watching Malfoy struggle to carry both of their bags. 

"Have you bewitched my father?" Malfoy spat, annoyed he had to carry Aurelia's bags. 

"I don't know what you're talking about, Malfoy. I didn't do anything. Maybe your father is more civil than you are," Aurelia replied. 

Malfoy scoffed and turned to his window to check if his parents were looking at him. When he didn't see his parents, Malfoy scoffed and shoved Aurelia's bags back into her hands before angrily leaving. 

The leather book in her bag seemed to burn into her skin. Aurelia dismissed the burning sensation on her hands and walked to her compartment. 

"Hi everyone!" Aurelia said as she sat down next to Justin. A chorus of hellos and hugs filled the compartment. The book continued to burn against her body until she put the bag down.

Had Malfoy tampered with her bag? 

"Elia? Are you okay?" Susan asked. 

Aurelia locked eyes with Susan. 

Aurelia desperately wanted to ask Susan about Seraphina—Susan was right across from her, and Aurelia's urge to ask her grew. Yet, she restrained herself from asking Susan. It wasn't the right time to ask her. 

"Yeah, I'm fine," Aurelia quietly said. 

The group didn't look convinced. Justin glanced at her hands, "Are you sure? You're kind of shaking." 

Aurelia nodded. "I'm just cold. Have you felt my hands? They're freezing." Aurelia put her hands out to let her friends touch it. 

Ernie touched her hand, and his hand quickly recoiled. "Why are your hands that cold?" 

Hannah laughed. "She's basically a walking thermostat. Her hands are sensitive—they just become whatever temperature it is on the outside." 

Aurelia put her hands back into her sweater. "Can we not talk about my sensitive hands." 

"We have Aurelia with the sensitive hands, Justin the klutz, Ernie the grumpy, Hannah the reasonable, and Susan the great!" Susan enthusiastically said. 

"I'm not grumpy!" Ernie stated. 

Justin shook his head before turning to Susan. "You think you've seen him grumpy? Try waking him up every day." 

"No, thank you. I would rather not get killed by Ernie," Susan said. 

Ernie rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to kill anyone. Why do you have such a bad perception of me?" 

Hannah laughed. "I don't think anyone here is capable of murder, Ernie. It's just a metaphor." 

"Well, it's not a good one," Ernie grimly said. 

The compartment went silent for a few seconds. Aurelia began fiddling with her wand once more, paying attention to the vines at the ends—tracing it with her fingers. The repeated motion seemed to calm her down. 

"I'm sorry, Ernie. I didn't know it would make you upset," Susan quietly said. 

Ernie stiffly nodded. "It's fine." 

Another few seconds of silence passed. Nobody was sure of what to say at the moment. The silence swallowed Aurelia—the question itched her throat. 

_Seraphina Bones._

Seconds ticked, and the conversation around her resumed. Her friends were able to lighten the tension in the air quickly. Yet, Aurelia was in her own world—one that she could not understand. Her mind continued to drift back to the book in her bag. 

Aurelia forced herself to focus on the twist of the vines on her wand. She tried to focus on the chatter around her, but nothing seemed to drown out the continuous thump in her head. 

_Seraphina._

Aurelia had to find out who Seraphina was. She desperately wanted to go back to her dorms to talk to Hannah and Susan about the book. 

"How close are we to school?" Aurelia asked. 

When the train stopped, Justin began shaking Aurelia awake. "Wake up, Elia. We're at school now." 

"Thanks," Aurelia sleepily said. 

The five Hufflepuffs began walking towards the castle. The leather book provided Aurelia with much-needed warmth. 

Dinner had been slow—Aurelia talked to Cedric for a while, and then she talked to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. 

When the girls walked back to their dorm, Aurelia sighed in relief. She could finally ask Susan about Seraphina, but Aurelia couldn't find to bring up the topic. How do you explain the book in Aurelia's bag? 

As the girls got ready for bed, Aurelia blurted out the question. "Susan? Do you know anyone in your family named Seraphina?" 

Susan stopped her movements and paused for a minute. "I think I have a great-grandmother named Seraphina or something like that. I'm not sure, why?" 

Aurelia walked over to her bag and grabbed the book. When she pulled the book out, it was considerably colder than before. 

Aurelia handed the book to Susan and watched as both Susan and Hannah flipped through the pages. 

"I got this book—I don't know who sent it. It's all so confusing, and nothing makes sense," Aurelia rambled. Her breathing became unsteady as Susan flipped through the last few pages of the book. 

Hannah turned to Aurelia. "I've never heard of the Birdsong family until I met you. It's unlikely there's another Birdsong family. You're going to have to tell Dumbledore about the book." 

"I was planning on telling him, Han. Do you think it's a prank?" 

Susan shook her head. "Doesn't seem like it, Elia. All of this seems authentic. You even kind of look like the girl in the picture."

Susan pointed at the young girl in the photograph. The girl did share the same facial structure as Aurelia, but that was it. 

The thumping in her head grew louder, and something told her to go to Professor Dumbledore immediately. Aurelia put her sweater on and grabbed her wand. 

"I'll bring it to Dumbledore right now," Aurelia said. Susan handed Aurelia the book. 

Hannah's eyes widened. "Are you sure, Aurelia? It's past curfew—you'll get in trouble." 

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine," Aurelia said. 

"We'll wait for you to come back. Right, Hannah?" 

Hannah slowly nodded at Susan's demand. Aurelia lightly laughed before walking out of their dorm. 

Aurelia quietly walked down the corridors—careful to hide from any prefects.

"STUDENT OF OUT OF BED!" Peeves yelled. 

Aurelia turned her head and found Peeves pointing at her. Peeves began hysterically laughing and floated towards Aurelia. 

"Awww, an ickle-first year!" He said through waves of laughter. 

Aurelia tried to shush Peeves, but he continued to laugh. 

"Peeves! I'm going to talk to Professor Dumbledore. Please, quiet down. There's no reason to get me in trouble." 

Peeves laughed. "You think you're the first one to use that excuse?" 

Aurelia could hear footsteps coming towards them. Panic ripped through Aurelia's body. Aurelia tried her best to walk away from the situation and hide, but Peeves had other ideas. Peeves began throwing water balloons at her.

The now soaked Aurelia wanted to tell Peeves to stop, but she could hear a faint voice yelling at Peeves. Aurelia began panicking as she heard Mr. Filch and Mrs. Norris come closer. 

Mr. Filch smiled when he caught sight of Aurelia. 

"I have to go talk to Professor Dumbledore," Aurelia quickly said. 

"You can go talk to him when you're in detention," Mr. Filch said. 

Mr. Filch began dragging Aurelia by her arm to Professor Dumbledore's office. Mr. Filch began knocking on the office door loudly. 

"Mr. Filch? Ms. Birdsong?" Professor Dumbledore asked. 

Mr. Filch grinned as he spoke. "I caught this first-year out of bed. She claims to need to talk to you." 

"I can handle this Argus. You can leave now," Professor Dumbledore calmly said. He glanced at the book in Aurelia's hands and motioned for her to come into his office. With a flick of his wand, Aurelia was no longer wet. 

Professor Dumbledore opened a cabinet filled with jars of Sherbet Lemons. "I assume that you need another jar of Sherbet Lemons?"

"No—yes—but that's not why I came here. I—I have to show you something." 

The book burnt in Aurelia's hand as she dropped the book onto his desk. A loud thud echoed in the office. 

Professor Dumbledore sat down at his desk and opened the book. He began flipping through the pages. 

"I got this, and I don't know where it came from. I—I have no idea what to do, professor," Aurelia said. 

The book taunted Aurelia, waiting for her to pick up the book and read its pages. The book wanted to fill her brain with confusion—to make her doubt her own existence.

Professor Dumbledore kept a calm—almost stoic—expression. He didn't let his face show how surprised and confused he was. 

"Ms. Birdsong, I'll be keeping this book for safe-keeping." 

She could feel a weight in her chest and her breathing began to pick up. She didn't want to let go of the book, but she didn't have a choice in the matters. Aurelia only had the book for a week or two, but she couldn't live without it.

"Professor? Who's Seraphina Bones? Is she related to Susan?" 

"Ms. Birdsong, you can talk to Seraphina Bones herself." 

Aurelia was confused but ecstatic that she could talk to Seraphina. Maybe then she could learn more about the Birdsongs.

"How can I talk to her?" 

Professor Dumbledore pointed to one of the portraits on the walls. 

Aurelia's eyes narrowed. "She's one of the portraits?" 

Students only talked to the portraits if they absolutely needed to, and Aurelia desperately needed to talk to Seraphina. The people around her would call her crazy—but she could care less. Yet, there were hundreds of portraits around the school. How would she find the right portrait? 

Professor Dumbledore merely nodded before returning his attention to the book. 

"How can I find her?"

Professor Dumbledore flipped back to the first page—carefully analyzing the photograph. "I believe you already know the answer to that, Ms. Birdsong." 

Aurelia knew that Professor Dumbledore was a confusing man—she had spent hours in his office trying to break into his mind, yet he still baffled her. 

She had no recollection of ever hearing someone talk about a portrait named Seraphina. Aurelia wasn't even sure if Susan knew that she could visit and talk to one of her great-grandparents. 

"Ms. Birdsong, it's quite late. You should head back to your dorm—tomorrow we'll have another lesson." 

Aurelia was irritated at his lack of answers. Yet, she nodded and left his office. Her grip on her wand tightened as she walked through the corridors. 

She could feel the words from the book slip her mind. Every photograph became a blur, and the words all bled together. Aurelia abruptly stopped in the middle of the corridor—she didn't care if she got caught—and tried to recount the pages. Yet, her brain became fuzzy. 

Aurelia could already feel her connection to the book break. She was desperate to get the book—her book—back, but she knew Professor Dumbledore wouldn't give it to her. Desperation tore throughout her body to remember the words. 

An idea popped into her head. She wasn't sure if it would work, but she was desperate to reconnect herself to the book. It was a strange need to have, yet, it was all that clouded her mind. 

Aurelia made a quick turn to one of the bathrooms and washed her face. She looked at the mirror. 

Her hand subconsciously grabbed the wand in her pocket and pressed her wand against her temple. " _Legilimens,"_ she whispered. 

It was a much different experience compared to when Professor Dumbledore had performed Legilimency. Instead of being torn from the outside, she felt her insides rip open. She didn't know what was worse: having Professor Dumbledore invade her memories or invading her own memories. 

Her brains were in scrambles trying to decide whether or not it was the invader. Her brain tried blocking itself out—trying to make Aurelia stop. All of Aurelia's memories became fuzzy, and pain seized her brain. 

She couldn't make out any of the memories in her brain. 

Aurelia dropped her wand and fell to the ground. She could feel the blood dripping down from her head and tangling into her hair. Her body trembled on the floor. Every move that Aurelia made hurt. Cuts and bruises littered her body. 

She could see the roof above her through her foggy vision. Her eyes were glazed over as she laid down. 

All Aurelia could do was cry, but the mixture of her tears and blood began to flood down her throat. 

_No. No._

Fear ran throughout her body—sprinting a marathon without caring about the pain she put herself through. The roof began to transform in front of her eyes. All she could see was her bedroom and the clock on her nightstand. 

She wanted to call out for her parents—but they would not come. Aurelia tried fighting her body to move, but her body stayed frozen. She tried fighting her brain to make her move, but her brain was too busy fighting itself. 

With all of her might, Aurelia sat up and slowly crawled her way to the wall. The pain became numbing as she rested against the wall—trying to catch her breath. 

Aurelia painfully walked towards the sinks to wash the blood off of her face. Yet, her face contorted in the mirror. 

_Monster. Monster._

Her body wanted to crush itself under her weight. Aurelia wanted to crash and stay on the floor, but Hannah and Susan were waiting for her. 

_Hannah and Susan_ _needed her._

Despite all of the pain she was in, Aurelia ran out of the bathroom. Blood began dripping down her face once again, but she didn't care. All she wanted to do was make it back to her dorm where Hannah and Susan waited for her. 

When Aurelia opened the door to her dorm, she collapsed and began sobbing. Susan and Hannah rushed over to Aurelia and closed the door. Aurelia's blood began to cover both of the girl's hands as they tried to move her hair away from her face. 

With her face cleared, she began sobbing harder—her rapid breathing matched with the irregularities of her heartbeat. 

"You're okay, Ellie. We're here. You're safe," Hannah softly said. 

"Seraphina. _Seraphina,"_ Aurelia choked out. Her words were raspy from her raw throat. 

Aurelia let out whimpers at her piercing headache. 

Aurelia grabbed onto Susan's hands and tried to tell her that they could talk to Seraphina, but no words fell out of her mouth. 

"Elia, it's okay. Shhh, can you take deep breaths for me?" Susan asked. 

Aurelia continued to sob, but soon she tried to slow down her breathing. 

"It hurts! It hurts _so much,"_ Aurelia cried out. 

"I'll go get some bandages and tea or her. I'll be right back," Hannah whispered to Susan before leaving. 

"I'm a monster!" Aurelia rasped out. 

Susan gasped. "Aurelia, you listen to me! Never in a million years would I call you a monster! You are the best of us." 

Aurelia began sobbing harder. Everything that Susan said did not ring true to what Aurelia thought. Aurelia had seen it herself—she saw herself as the monster in the mirror.

"You may not believe it, Aurelia, but we all love you so much. If you can't see that for yourself, then we'll make sure that you see how wonderful you are—Elia, you're going to be okay." 

Aurelia clutched onto Susan's shirt as she sobbed hysterically. Hannah and Cedric opened the door and walked into the dorm. 

Cedric took Aurelia into his arms and began rubbing her back. "Birdie, you're going to be okay." 

"Sorry, I took so long. We were trying to find a way for Cedric to come up here," Hannah said. 

Susan took a washcloth and began cleaning the blood off of Aurelia's face and hands. Hannah took the bandages and began wrapping the noticeable cuts. 

"I've got you, Birdie. No one can hurt you now," Cedric whispered as he rocked Aurelia back and forth. 

Aurelia couldn't cry anymore—instead, she blankly stared up at Cedric. He kept rubbing her back. "Go to sleep, Birdie." 

Aurelia closed her eyes and allowed herself to rest in Cedric's arms. 

When he was sure that Aurelia was sleeping, he stood up with her in his arms. "I'm taking her to Madam Pomfrey." 

"We're going too," Hannah and Susan said.

The three took Aurelia to the Hospital Wing. Peeves approached the four, but Susan forced him away. Their only goal was to get Aurelia to the Hospital Wing—they didn't care if they got caught. 

Hannah knocked on the Hospital Wing's door. 

Madam Pomfrey walked out, ready to yell at the twins, but she found Aurelia soaked in her own blood and tears. Madam Pomfrey rushed Aurelia into the Hospital Wing and began running diagnostics over her body. 

"You three can go back to your dorms. She's in good hands now," Madam Pomfrey sternly said. 

Hannah shook her head. "But—" 

"Mr. Diggory, take these two back to their dorms."

Cedric wanted to stay with Aurelia, but he took one last glance at Aurelia and escorted the girls back to their dorms. 

_Seraphina. The burning ones._


End file.
